


Where the dark things go

by orphan_account



Series: The life and Times of Jon Targaryen [1]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Drama, Family, Gen, Modern AU, R plus L equals J
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-29
Updated: 2014-12-29
Packaged: 2018-03-04 05:34:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2954153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Rhaenys Targaryen returns to Summerhall to find various shenanigans. And an escalating war within the family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Where the dark things go

"It's good to be home again." Rhae Targaryen says softly as she steps into the threshold of Summerhall. Beside her, Egg bursts into a howl of laughter.

"Rhae Targaryen? Glad to be back home? Did I just hear that right?" "Rhae punches him in the ribs for that. It's true that the grim and solemn Summerhall, teeming with ghosts and regrets is no match for the warmth and sensuality which leaps and dances in the Dornish sand. But still, home was home, and for once in her life, Rhae was glad to be back.

"Shut up Aegon. It's not like you don't run off to Uncle Griff at the Roost every time you can." The scowl on her brother's face is satisfying. Egg dislikes the name Aegon, as much as Rhae hates the name Rhaenys. It's a bit ironic though. Their famous ancestor, the founder of their family was named Aegon, and he was a great man and a great lord and businessman. Incidentally, he also slept with his two sisters, one of them named Rhaenys. It seemed that there were two social norms that the Targaryens of old loved to break., the first being incest and the second being bigamy.

The first practice had died out with their Grandfather, Aerys the Mad. It was probably more to do with their Aunt Dany not being born until 5 months after Jon, than the sentiment that incest was a disgusting practice frowned on by the whole world. 

As for bigamy, well, that remained to be seen. Considering their father's colourful history, and Aegon's love for female company, that would be a tradition which would take a long time dying. 

There really were times that Rhae wished Egg had a bit more of Jon's cool in him.

"So, how do you like my hair, dearest sister mine?" Egg flips the said tresses (mildly reminiscent of Jaime Lannister, Rhae thought). They were slightly long like Father's and last she saw him, they were silver blonde too. Only now they'd been dyed bright blue. Rhae had winced when she'd first seen them, but then again they were not so bad. In fact, here in the dim light of the hallway, they looked rather nice. Not that she'd ever admit as much to Egg. 

"I suppose it was rather popular with father." She tells him, sarcasm guns ablaze. Egg shrugs. "Didn't say much, really. Just that he was glad to have me back, and to pick you up from the station tomorrow. I rather doubt he noticed the hair." That was rhaegar all over. Solemn, sad, the tragic prince from a fairy tale. Rhae thanked the Seven that Egg had not inherited that aspect of their father. In character, he was much more like their feisty Uncle Oberyn, a notorious womanizer, and as often as not, the life and soul of any party. Rhae taking after Elia, had only made them get along fairly well in a cutesy sibling-y way.

"No mournful glances?" Rhae grins. "Nah, those are saved for pup." Which reminds Rhae that she has something else to ask about.

"Speaking of which, where is pup anyway?"

 

Sometimes Rhae wondered how she could be remotely satisfied with as fucked up a family as hers. 

It was all well to blame Rhaegar, of course. It was his irresponsibility that turned all of Westeros against the Targaryen political family. Him and their schizophrenic Grandfather. Aerys had Schizophrenia to blame. Rhaegar had only his mad prophesies. And there had been so much at stake for the family thanks to that. 

To put a long story short, Father had cheated on mum with his much younger cousin Robert's much younger fiancee Lyanna (consensual, say some, rape, says Robert). Robert, furious and miserable used the sympathy card as his election campaign against Aerys, who's schizophrenia was pretty much recognized by the public when he attacked Lyanna's brother Brandon, prompting a number of important alliances (including the Starks, Tully's and Arryns) to side with Robert in the general elections of Westeros. 

Of course, things had got worse when two weeks before the election, Aerys's major supporter and long suffering right hand man Tywin Lannister announced his decision to join Robert, causing Aerys to go into a massive heart attack. He had forced Elia into the car with him (refusing to call an ambulance), and gotten Tywin's teenage son to drive them to the A & E. The car had crashed into a massive truck, driven by a drunk driver only minutes away from the hospital. It had severely injured Elia, prompting Jaime to immediately carry her out to the hospital in his arms, leaving behind Aerys, who was dead by the time the medics got to him. It had not saved Elia, who for all Jaime Lannister's efforts, had succumbed moments before they entered the A & E. 

Crippled by the loss, the party had placed young Rhaegar in his father's position of premier, knowing that he was  much loved MP in Westeros. However at the face off debate at the Trident, Robert's revelations about Lyanna's "abduction" and Rhaegar's infidelity to Elia, made their father so out of the public good books that by the time Robert won (in a landslide victory) Rhaegar was well into a permanent political hiatus.

Only a month later, Lyanna Stark had been found, not even 8 months along in a difficult pregnancy. The labour, (premature, long, difficult) had killed Lyanna who had a severe haemorrhage moments after Jon's birth. Rhaegar, in mourning for his father and Elia, had only been told nearly 2 months later, by which time Lyanna's brother Eddard had taken Jon North to their family home in Winterfell. 

In the the  months that followed, Grandmother had given birth to her last child, Daenerys, who was, after Rhella's death not long after, placed in custody of her nephew Stannis, the only man, according to Rhaella, who could any longer be trusted with a small child. 

The Targaryen family was broken. With Rhaegar hiding away in Summerhall, Viserys being schooled in Volantis, and Dany being raised at Dragonstone, it seemed almost impossible for a political comeback. Not that they weren't still in the upper echelon of Westerosi society. The many estates owned by the family made sure of that. Egg and Rhae had had a happy, though marred childhood, full of memories created mostly courtesy Uncles Doran and Oberyn, and Godfather Jon Connington.

Jon on the other hand, was more or less kept under sharper media scrutiny. The scandal surrounding his birth cast a shadow on their dark haired brother, and Father was wary of letting Ned Stark into Jon's life too much. He got letters and presents though. And Rhae was fairly certain that her baby brother saved up most of his money for tickets to the North as often as he could. Most of the trips were made in secret, and Rhae respected that. She could barely imagine a life without her Dornish family and guessed that, even though Father and Ned Stark had bad blood between them, Jon should not be kept away from the Starks. 

"Pup's finally through with his exams." Egg says, leading her up to the landing where all three of them had rooms. "He got two of five college letters today morning. Both were rejections though. He really didn't mind. Neither was Winterfell." It was implicitly understood that, like Rhae, who had opted for Sunspear University, where her Uncles worked, Jon too would want to be close to his mother's roots and be at Winterfell. He'd never talked about and that was what Rhae found surprising. She'd had a hard time shutting up about her application to Sunspear, but then again, Jon was a quiet child. Most people said he was entirely Stark. On the other hand, it could as easily be Rhaegar's genes ascertaining their paternity.

In any case, there was more of Rhaegar in Jon than there was in Egg and Rhae put together. 

Rhae knocks smartly on Jon's door, the plain one that bears no paint or "No Entry" signs on it. "Jon, sweetheart, I'm home." No answer. "Jon, are you in there?" She frowns at the door as if that solves anything. Of course, Egg just has to take over, and holler out loud for all of the neighbourhood to hear.

"OY! PUP!! GET YOUR ASS OUTTA THAT ROOM 'CAUSE RHAE IS HOME!!!!"

They only realized how dumb that was when their father popped his head out of his office to inform them that Jon had gone out to the park with Ghost, and would probably be having dinner with his friends.

 

Rhae doesn't see the baby until she comes down for breakfast the next morning to find him in the kitchen, making breakfast, or at least finishing the job. At his side sits the white half wolf Northern monstrosity that Jon calls Ghost. Blueberry muffins, Rhae notes, Father's favourite. Jon's not really a baby anymore, but she can barely remember Egg in the crook of their mother's arms so Jon is the first (and only) baby she actually remembers. 

"Trying to curry favour with father, Pup?" She teases. Jon jumps, startled, a faint blush creeping over his skin. "N-No." He stammers. "I'm just- just-" He gestures helplessly at the muffins on the table. Rhae grins. Jon is easily flustered, and oddly endearing. The Martells, who despised Rhaegar for his involvement with "that Stark woman" found Jon an enigma. Even Uncle Oberyn, who had spent one entire day observing the interloper in his sister's family, had commented that he was a charmer of sorts. 

"I heard you got two letters yesterday." She says. "I did. A rejection from Highgarden, and a place in Pol sci. from the Vale." Rhae had not known that he'd applied to the Vale. Then again, Eddard Stark was an alumnus of the Vale, and their baby brother worshiped the ground he walked on. "Are you going for it?" "What, the Vale? Well it's not my first choice, but if things don't work out, I just might." He sounds nonchalant about it, but that's just how he is.

Breakfast is a quiet affair by the time Egg ambles in and promptly swigs a gulp of Dragonfruit juice from the carton itself. Rhae frowns at him gesturing the muffins on the table, and he grins sheepishly. "Sorry pup. Didn't see that. Oooh! Blueberry pancakes. Someone's in a mood." Jon manages the smallest of smiles. 

And that's when the bell rings outside. 

"The Post." Says father calmly. Jon half leaps out of his chair to get the letters, leaving a cackling Egg in his wake. He returns bearing a stack of letters, his normally stoic face almost betraying his hammering heart.

"There's a few correspondences for father, a post card for Egg, something for Rhae, and the rest are my college letters." Rhae notices the tiny grey envelope he slips into his shirt pocket discreetly. Years of snooping have revealed it to be letters fro his cousin Arya, who writes to him as if she were his own sister, and not his cousin. What she sees in them makes her a little sad, and she can't help dislike Arya Stark for the familiarity that she has with the brother she barely knows.

"College Letters!" Egg shouts as he launches himself forward to reach for the bright yellow envelope, obviously from Storm's End, at the same time as father picks a red one and Rhae herself picks up the white one closest to her. She breaks the seal and pulls out the shift of paper only to realize it was from Winterfell. 

"Err... Jon? I think you should..." she trails off as she notices the content of the paper she's holding.

_Dear Mr. Targaryen,_

_We are sorry to inform you that your application for Winterfell University has been rejected..._

Rhae can feel a stinging at the back of her eyes.  _Oh, pup._

"Storm's End's said yes." Egg pipes up. "As has Casterly Rock." Father adds. "Full schol mind you. You seem to have impressed Lannister quite a bit for that." They look hopefull at Rhae, who finds her throat suddenly dry. 

"Jon," she ventures. "I'm so sorry-" but Jon is not listening, his eyes flit across the page in his hand and they watch dumbstruck as a charming grin curls all over his face. 

"Thank goodness" he says, softly, looking for once like a child and not a sullen old man. "Thank goodness."

Rhae is flummoxed. But Winterfell had rejected him! He wanted to go to Winterfell.... didn't he?

 _If it isn't Winterfell, where does he want to go?_ Her eyes catch sight of the black envelope by the side, at the same moment as Rhaegar, takes the letter out of Jon's hand.

_Oh seven hells no, it can't be!_

Rhae watches as their father's eyes turn to steel at the contents of the letter, but it is Egg, peering over Rhaegar's shoulder, who drops the bomb.

"Jon," he says, awed. "You're not  _seriously_ thinking of going to  _Castle Black_ are you?" Castle Black was the security department of Westeros with it's long term training and lifetime career. It was a strict discipline that required it's members "the night's watch" to hold to a strict lifetime oath. Long ago, it was actually required of the black brothers to swear to celibacy. 

But Jon is stoic across the table. 

"I am." He says simply. "The night's watch is an honourable calling. Besides, I can take Ghost with me up North. Maybe we'll train him up to be a watchdog. I've spoken to them about it," he adds, shooting a glare at Egg. "I've thought long about it, I'm going to take the black."

"No you are not." They all stop and stare. Rhaegar Targaryen rarely speaks, and his voice is never flinty, but not now. There is steel in Father's voice as he stares down his third born, who, to his credit, stares back unflinchingly. 

"You will  _not_ be taking the black." 

"And why not?"

"There's no threat from the North at the moment. I won't have you wasting your life in that freezing cold wasteland." 

"It's not a wasteland. Uncle Ned says that there's been an increase in wildling raids in the past three months."

"And you being there won't stop them."

"I want to serve Westeros, what better place for me than the watch?"

"There's other ways to serve the realm. You can try some other place if it's the North you want."

"Uncle Benjen's disappeared on a ranging expedition." 

"Then why do you wish to be there? You've no family on the Wall."

"The Starks have manned the Wall for centuries. And there's none there at the moment."

"You're a Targaryen, not a Stark!" Their father's on the verge of shouting.

"I'M NOT A TARGARYEN!" Screams Jon, at his father's face.

A hushed silence descends on the table and Rhae notices his eyes are full of tears.

"I'm a bastard." He says, and rushes out of the Dining room.


End file.
